Last fall, Harrisburg High School started a new way of learning called customized learning, better known as MOD. MOD consists of 22 class periods broken down into 20 minute blocks each day, allowing students to prepare for college. The 20 minutes are not different classes but a block in a schedule. So an English class could be 20, 40, 60 or 80 minutes long and could change duration on different days.

Being part of customized learning and succeeding is determined by the learning style of the student. This course was made to set students up for success, but many are actually set up for failure because they do not learn by teaching themselves. As the school year ended many students made the decision to move back to the traditional style of learning because it suited them better.

“The student to teacher interaction dropped when I transitioned to MOD last year,” said Lindsay Farrell, a sophomore at HHS. “In traditional teaching the teacher actually teaches you and I just missed that. If you learn something and know it well, then you can move on, but let’s say you aren’t grasping something very well, you try to learn as much as you can from watching videos and asking the teachers questions. I honestly don’t like having to go ask a million questions to my teacher. I tried to work with my peers but it honestly just got too hard.”

Although MOD is set up to prepare and help students for the future, it depends on their learning style. Farrell often lost learned information, because it is not her preferred learning style.

“I talked to my guidance person and she told me I did really well in the MOD system. Yeah, I did but I didn’t feel like I was learning anything. It would go in one ear and out the other. It didn’t stay with me and that makes me nervous for big tests I have to take later,” said Farrell.

However, many students enjoy the learning style of MOD, teaching themselves and solving problems on their own. They can work ahead and redo past assignment, and, in this way, are unable to fail the class if they are self-motivated. Jessica Oleson, a sophomore at LHS, found that she liked this new style of learning while she went to HHS her freshman year.

“MOD is really good for someone who likes to work ahead, and I like to work ahead,” said Oleson. “It helped me with knowing that I needed to work through things and if I didn’t understand, I needed to ask questions.”

A lot of students in high school are involved in some activity related to or outside of school. For students involved in MOD, it is sometimes easier to balance these activities and their school work.

“I always had extra free time,” said Oleson. “I think it’s harder to balance activities through traditional, whereas with MOD you have a lot of flexibility like, this paper didn’t have to be turned in today. It could be turned in tomorrow or the next day after that.”

Student’s different learning styles greatly impacted their school year last year. Some were easily able to teach themselves, while others struggled not being taught by an actual teacher.

“I think everyone should try MOD, and if it’s for you then stay with it, but if it’s not then don’t be afraid to go back to traditional. It definitely depends on the person who’s taking it. One learning style isn’t better than the other,” said Farrell.